Wasting food is undoubtedly a crime in a world where hunger persists and in that regard every effort is welcomed to minimize waste and have access to more food. The suggested approach of developing innovative infrastructure to minimize food waste is just one way of maximizing the use of existing produce. A bigger handicap still remains in making food accessible and affordable which calls for least taxation on raw food items. This will make food affordable for many more. Read more

Society has an obligation to support the needy poor social sustainability and the development of new networks of city leaders can give contribution to the creation of local kitchens and fed with food waste and generate a social and environmental sustainable society Read more

You are talking about food waste prevention and production improvement but there are a couple of things you don't take into consideration:1. Is the food wasted really waste or do we exploit as much as possible from our food? What is the percentage of the food wasted that could actually be used and what is the portion of the waste that is actually waste?2. Production improvement: Well, this is far more complicated. Grains, vegetables, legumes and most plant-based foods along with a great deal of livestock are produced in poor countries that do not have the financial capability of improving their infrastructure and the whole system of production. The principle that is followed is "as cheap as possible", which is not necessarily "as efficient as possible". So, who is going to invest there? Through which organisation and in which way is the financial help going to be delivered to the producer?3. You're talking about food but you mistakenly take something for granted: The portion of animal-based vs plant-based food that a human needs which deduces to the amount of protein he needs and so on. UN published a detailed report on WHERE our food should come from, in order to prevent climate change and world hunger. So, how could you not have this report in mind when talking about food waste? Do you realize that the amount of food waste you are talking about is so minor comparin to the food that the world could save by just altering the portions of animal protein and reducing processed foods? Should't be that our direction as human kind, if you keep in mind that this change would benefit not only rich world but also poor countries, not only humans but also animals? Read more

"Conscious Consumption" is the answer. In order to curtail food waste globally, the change must start within everyone’s minds and hearts. Read my post here:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cutting-food-waste-how-conscious-consumption-can-help-sampathkumar?trk=pulse_spock-articles Read more

It's not like we don't have enough food in the world to feed the 9 million people who starve to death each year.

We have plenty of food! The amount of food in the world isn't the problem.

In fact, many fields full of ripe crops get 'plowed under' every year (for which the farmers get 'crop insurance' payments) in order to keep prices high enough for the long-term health of that particular crop/industry.

That isn't kitchen waste -- that's thousands of acres of crops per year that get plowed under globally, a.k.a. 'wasted food'.

Food that could be used to prevent the 9 million deaths per year due to starvation.

The problem isn't the amount of food in the world, the problem is the amount of money that is required to solve the problem.

It is said by development agencies everywhere that it costs the equivalent of $1 per day to feed a starving person.

The math couldn't be simpler. Nine million people (times) $1 per day = $3.2 billion dollars annually.

That's all it would take to feed those people and prevent those 9 million deaths from starvation.

See, it's a money problem, not a food problem.

Granted, all that does is feed those people, and every year another $3.2 billion dollars would need to be sourced to continue the program.

But the world's nations could easily come up with that much money if they wanted to -- while still working on the sorts of long-term solutions that you've eloquently described.

Part II

All that you've written and more, is true.

One of the most serious problems, is security.

If farm workers are afraid to go to work in some developing nations because they are being robbed, assaulted, threatened, 'shaken down' while traveling to or from work (in 'those sorts of regions') that is another impediment to food security.

No matter how efficient the agricultural part of the equation, it usually takes hundreds of workers to actually show up and work the fields in the weeks prior to harvest, and especially to work during the harvest, and in some cases to process the crops after harvest.

None of that will happen without a certain minimum level of security in those regions.

It is a completely separate issue from war, terrorism, tribal conflict, etc.

In many cases, this is happening inside developing nations that are 'at peace' with their neighbours but can't afford a minimum level of policing for rural areas.

Nothing will happen without the necessary level of security, therefore a certain percentage of development funding must be directed to enhancing local security/policing/worker safety.

In closing, I thank you for posting your informative essay and for making the compelling case you've made.

My point is to augment what you've covered and to ask if the points I've raised were included in your work and the work of the Copenhagen Consensus Center generally, and of the other think tanks mentioned.

Part II - this is the real, real reason for all extreme poverty. Even delivering food at $1 a day won't help - because the neighbor of the starving person who is bigger and stronger will stockpile the food while the other starves. Read more

How would it be possible to move from spending $5 to $88bn on agricultural research and development within 15years? Who should find this money and how and where should it be spent? We need to find realistic solutions to global food security problems embedded in communities we wish to help. Read more

Bjorn makes a good case for financial investment into food security. Access to funding for NGO initiatives is another issue that is a concern. Considering the links with climate change and conflict investing in food security is an ethical and sensible proactive action. Read more

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